


Moonstruck

by BaraLinni



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, First Kiss, Fluff, Just guys being boys, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 05:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14097999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaraLinni/pseuds/BaraLinni
Summary: Saïx is a lycanthrope, which means that he's like any other teenager but with certain upgrades - such as a good sense of smell and a knack for embarrassing himself in front of his crush





	Moonstruck

People often think of lycanthropy as if it’s some kind of inconvenience or disease. They seem to think that once every full moon, all lycanthropes turn into bloodthirsty beasts with no sense of self, wreaking havoc wherever they go. After all, that’s how most movies and books depict werewolves.

In Saïx's own experience, however, being a lycanthrope is actually pretty chill. Your family and all your relatives are very tightly knit, which is really nice when you’re not going through puberty. You’re more flexible than non-lycanthropes, have no problem napping during daytime, and you have good hearing and a really good sense of smell.

The smell part had its ups and downs, though, which Saïx was reminded of as he entered the school building. He took a deep breath on instinct and felt like he was hit by a wall of hairspray, flowers, watermelon and overly manly deodorants. But after that first initial shock, one particular scent quickly drowned the others out and seemed to fill Saïx’s whole body with an inexplicable joy. He turned his head toward the source of the scent and was as mesmerized as always by the sight that he was met with.

Xemnas was standing halfway up the wide staircase, his eyes crinkled up as he laughed at something Xigbar had said and moved his weight to his other foot. He tossed his hair over his shoulder, making the sunlight catch momentarily in the silver strands and a stronger impulse of his scent come wafting toward Saïx for just one second. Then his eyes, still glinting with laugher, swept across the crowd and landed on Saïx. He nodded his head in greeting and smiled, and Saïx felt like his spine had suddenly decided on a career change and become a slinky.

The slap on his back may very well have saved him from doing something possibly rather undignified right there and then.

“Stop clogging the hallway and let’s go, already”.

Saïx turned his head to roll his eyes at Axel. “As you wish”, he said mockingly and started to plow through the masses toward their lecturing hall. He chanced a quick glance over at Xemnas, who was once again engrossed in a conversation with Xigbar.

“Your sweet prince can wait. Now, onward!” Axel demanded from behind him and Saïx smiled and shook his head.

“To victory”, he added half-heartedly.

There are a couple of things that are actually not so great about being a lycanthrope. Firstly, you might get overwhelmed by different scents in a big crowd. Secondly, your canines are slightly too big to fit in your mouth until around when you hit your twenties, which means that there exists an unholy amount of pictures where one or both canines are caught on your lips. And thirdly, crushes are a bit awkward.

Saïx took another deep breath through his nose, immediately finding Xemnas’s scent and feeling suddenly overcome with an urge to skip. He managed to perform a slightly more dignified strut instead while his legs practically vibrated with held-back excitement.

Yeah. Crushes are _incredibly_ awkward.

~~

“I don’t get why you don’t just ask him out”.

Saïx glared over at Axel where he was lying on his back on Saïx’s bed. “You know, group projects are usually done as a group”.

Axel ignored his remark and shifted on the bed so he could let his head hang down over the edge, watching Saïx upside-down. “I mean, it’s not like you’re doing a great job hiding it”.

“I never said I’m hiding it. I’m just…” Saïx paused. What _was_ he doing, really? “I’m… waiting for the right moment”.

Axel snorted. “Yeah, right”.

Saïx didn’t answer. They stayed silent for a while until Axel sighed.

“Look, I can’t tell you what to do, but I think it’ll feel better to just get it out”.

~~

Saïx had been thinking about those words all day, barely paying any attention to the lectures. Axel made a very good point. The only possible outcomes were Xemnas either saying yes - which Saïx honestly was not sure if he could handle - or no - which Saïx would very probably handle with a lengthy crying fit. Either way, if he could just confess his feelings, then maybe he could finally start acting more normal around Xemnas.

Axel’s words still echoed in Saïx’s head once he exited the school building, and he decided that he would tell him first thing the next time they met.

So _of course_ Xemnas chose that moment to walk right into his field of vision, along with Xigbar, Xaldin and Luxord. Saïx was completely caught off guard - the wind was blowing the wrong way and he had not picked up Xemnas’s scent.

The surprise at seeing Xemnas again so soon made him hesitate for just a moment, before he kneaded together all of his previous determination into a firm ball and walked briskly toward the little group of students, only half aware that Axel was following him. He stopped in front of Xemnas, who smiled at them.

“Hey”, he said in that deep voice of his, and Saïx was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming surge of _something_.

He tried to answer, but it was as if his conscious mind had been pushed aside and he was at a total loss as for what to say or do. The silence stretched on and on. Too long. Way to long, and Saïx realised that he had to do something _now_.

At that very moment, a stray puff of wind found its way through Xemnas’s hair and blew directly in Saïx’s face, and he was once again overcome with utter joy at the mere fact that Xemnas existed. The giddiness filled him and he was entirely swept away by it, a big smile forming on his face.

And that was when he leaned in and playfully nipped at Xemnas’s jaw.

~~

“Dude, come on, slow down!”

Saïx ignored Axel’s pleas and kept up his merciless power walking until the school building was entirely hidden behind a barrier of houses and trees. He kept going for a while longer for good measure, and then promptly plopped down on a nearby bench, put his face in his hands and groaned in frustration.

“Hey now, don’t you think that’s a little overdramatic?”

Saïx didn’t look up when Axel plopped down beside him.

Axel acted like he didn’t notice the silence. “I mean, we’ve basically known those guys since we were kids, anyway. They know you’re a lyce, so no harm done. You can just tell them it was a joke and everyone will move on”.

“I know but…” Saïx gave a defeated sigh. “This is exactly why I didn’t try to tell him before. I just can’t control it. He’s just too...”

“... Too...?” Axel coaxed when Saïx remained silent.

“I don’t know… perfect, I guess”. Saïx spoke in a low voice, still with his head in his hands.

“You _guess?_ ” Axel’s scandalised tone of voice made Saïx peek up at him as he gestured wildly while he spoke. “You’re head over heels for the guy and you just _guess_ he’s perfect? Hun, if I were to rate Xemnas objectively I’d give him a 12/10 and a firm slap on the butt”. He mimed a slap in the air and Saïx gave a mighty snort that turned into mutual, breathless laughter.

When the laughing finally simmered down, Axel  looked at Saïx. “Maybe you should invite him over. You know, get some privacy, eliminate all witnesses”.

Saïx smiled and looked down at his hands. “Sounds like a plan”.

“Yeah it does! And you know what’s an even better plan?”

Saïx gave Axel a questioning look and was met with a brilliant but uncanny smile.

“You call him right now before you chicken out!”

~~

Thanks to Axel, Saïx had called Xemnas, they had spoken briefly and agreed to hang out at Xemnas’s place, mainly because his parents weren’t home and Saïx’s house was always swarming with siblings, cousins, aunts and various other individuals. When they had hung up, Axel had pretended to dry a tear and exclaimed that he was 'so proud’, and Saïx had shoved at his shoulder. The unspoken 'thank you’ had hung in the air between them, along with the ‘you’re welcome’, and Axel had resolved this by giving Saïx one last push on the back and telling him to move along, because he himself was a busy man and had somewhere to be.

And that was the summary for how Saïx found himself half-trotting down the street towards Xemnas’s house - too eager to walk, but too worried about the remainder of his dignity to run.

He didn’t stop to think before marching up to Xemnas’s front door, which was why he was slightly caught off guard when the door opened almost as soon as he knocked and Xemnas appeared in front of him. Saïx felt his brain overflow with the usual giddiness, but somehow managed to keep it under wraps long enough for Xemnas to smile and saunter off toward the couch.

Saïx suddenly remembered Axel’s comment about Xemnas’s butt and smiled to himself before setting his face into a determined look. He had come here for a reason, and the sooner they got it sorted out, the better. He took a deep breath. “We need to talk”. Well, he sure hadn’t meant for it to sound _that_ ominous and foreboding.

Xemnas looked up from the array of console games ordered in disorderly piles on the coffee table. He looked taken aback. “... Is it something serious?” he asked and Saïx waved his hands.

“No! ... I mean, it’s important, at least to me, but...” He trailed off and decided to start over. _You can do it._ _Just keep it short and sweet._ He breathed in deeply. “I like you and it messes me up”. _Where did the 'sweet’ part go?!_ “It’s not your fault though!” he cried in an attempt to save the situation. “It’s because I’m a lycanthrope and I just can’t really control it when I’m near you, so I do weird things and...” He stopped to breathe and think of what to say next, when Xemnas, who had been watching him with a confused expression, shifted his eyes away from Saïx.

“... You _like_ me?”

Saïx felt like his brain short-circuited. He wanted to answer, but his throat suddenly felt dry, so he nodded and made something resembling a confirming hum.

Xemnas smiled to himself before he stood up and walked over to Saïx. He stopped close enough to be inside Saïx’s breathing space but still not looking him in the eyes, and flexed his fingers like he was unsure of what to do with himself. Then he glanced up and his face lit up with the most genuine smile Saïx had ever seen. “I like you too”.

A rush of euphoria filled Saïx, and the next thing he knew he was lying on his back on the floor and his head hurt like no other. He clutched at it and looked up at Xemnas, who was standing exactly where he had been before Saïx had apparently decided to trust fall onto the coffee table, looking down at him with surprise, concern and something that was difficult to read.

He crouched down and smiled uncertainly. “Are you okay?”

Saïx grunted in response. “Yeah, it’s… another wolf thing. Ouch…” He sat up and ghosted his fingers over the back of his head. He pouted when he found the sore spot. That was going to leave an impressive bump for sure.

Xemnas looked like he didn’t quite know what to do, and Saïx didn’t blame him. The silence stretched on until Xemnas leaned in to tuck some of Saïx’s hair behind his ear. Then he looked at Saïx, his expression a mix of sympathy and held-back laughter. “Do you want me to kiss your booboo better?”

The corners of Saïx’s mouth twitched and he huffed with amusement. “If you would be so kind”. His breath hitched when Xemnas actually leaned in and he could feel lips against the sore spot, which suddenly felt a lot less sore. Then his whole head seemed to vibrate and a sound sort of like a whoopee cushion reverberated off the walls. When the sound died out, Saïx pulled away from Xemnas to stare at him, bewildered. “... Did you just blow a raspberry in my hair?”

Xemnas nodded, his face completely serious. “Otherwise, the magic won’t work”.

Saïx kept staring in confusion and Xemnas kept meeting his eyes with a neutral expression until the corners of his mouth twitched and they both broke into laughter.

Once he could breathe properly again, Saïx patted Xemnas’s knee. “Would you mind getting me an ice pack, oh great Sorcerer?”

Xemnas gave a disbelieving gasp and placed a hand over his heart. “Do you doubt my magical prowess? I’ll have you know that I am well versed in the art of exploiting the placebo effect”.

Saïx laughed and shoved at Xemnas’s shoulder. “You can’t wish away a literal bump”.

Xemnas smiled and got up, ruffling Saïx’s hair in passing - which made Saïx subconsciously lean into the touch - before he disappeared into the kitchen. There was the sound of something opening and something rustling before Xemnas’s voice called out. “Do you want peas or baby carrots?”

Saïx rolled his eyes before he called back. “What do you take me for? I want whichever has the prettier bag, of course”.

He heard a contemplative hum and some more rustling before Xemnas returned and placed a cold bundle of some kind of floral fabric in Saïx’s lap. Saïx looked at the bundle and raised an eyebrow at Xemnas.

“The bags weren’t pretty enough”, Xemnas explained and winked.

Saïx considered the outer layer of the bundle, which he now recognised as a tea towel, and then glanced up when Xemnas sat down beside him on the floor, close enough that their legs touched. That familiar joy returned, and Saïx was reminded of the reason behind the unfortunate bump. Still very much influenced by the giddiness, but completely voluntarily and consciously, he leaned over and softly pressed his lips to Xemnas’s jaw.

Xemnas’s eyes widened, and for a split second Saïx began to fear that perhaps he had read the whole situation wrong after all. But then, Xemnas smiled brightly and leaned closer to Saïx again, placing a gentle kiss on his lower lip.

Almost overcome with happiness and relief, Saïx followed as Xemnas pulled back and began to nip at his jaw, moving toward and over his chin until he reached his mouth. He glanced up briefly before gently catching Xemnas’s lower lip between his teeth.

Xemnas hummed encouragingly and Saïx sighed as their lips finally fitted together. A hand moved to rest on Saïx’s hip bone, and the other picked up the forgotten ice pack from Saïx’s lap and pressed it to the equally forgotten bump, making Saïx hiss into the kiss from the sudden cold.

The kissing went on as they found new angles and combinations of teeth and tongues, and Saïx found himself straddling Xemnas, fingers entangled in his silky hair.

After what felt like forever - but in the best way possible - they both pulled back, lips shiny and cheeks red.

Saïx nestled his head into the crook of Xemnas’s neck, breathing in his practically intoxicating scent and humming happily when Xemnas started stroking and scratching at his scalp.

“So”, Xemnas started and Saïx looked up at him. “Is the trust fall thing going to be a constant? Will I have to learn to catch you?”

Saïx huffed in annoyance but couldn’t help but smile when Xemnas laughed. “It’ll go away later, when the courting part is done. That’s how it is for everyone, don’t you worry”.

Xemnas snorted sharply, which jostled Saïx. “Is that what you’re doing?” he laughed. “Courting me?”

Saïx rolled his eyes. “Shut up”.

Xemnas ruffled his hair again and stretched his back, which elicited a series of cracks and a deep grunt. “This is incredibly cosy, but let’s move onto the couch, yeah?”

Saïx nodded and they relocated themselves onto the sofa, Saïx with one leg dangling over Xemnas’s, and Xemnas with an arm slung around Saïx’s shoulders. After some deliberation over whether either of them was prepared to get up and change the disc - turns out that neither of them was - they still ended up becoming very dedicated to rounding up all the ducklings with their shared canoe.

“No, there was one over there, didn’t you see?”

“Saïx we can’t go that way, we’ll hit the-!”

"... So, the ducklings swim away if we hit the rocks”.

“Indeed”.

“Okay, but at least now we know where they all are, so if we just…”

After probably an hour or two of collisions, incredibly intense near-collisions and sportsman-worthy strategising, they finally managed to return the lost ducklings to their mother. Satisfied with their stunning feat of skill and bravery, Saïx leaned against Xemnas with a victorious smirk.

“Okay, are you ready for the race?”

Saïx blinked up at Xemnas. “... There’s a race?”

Thankfully, his mother chose that moment to use the modern technology at her disposal to inform him that dinner was ready, and consequently saved her son from certain failure and possible ridicule.

The bag of previously frozen vegetables was left abandoned on the coffee table as they disentagled themselves from each other and Xemnas followed Saïx outside. They stood awkwardly in the yard, unsure of how exactly to part ways after the recent developments.

“So…” Saïx scratched at his scalp, “are we dating now?”

“Of course we are”. Xemnas looked down and moved his weight onto his other leg. “If you want to, that is”.

Saïx beamed at that. “Then let’s go on a date later, yeah?”

Xemnas smiled back. “Yeah, that’d be great”.

They were back to the strained silence again. They’d always just kind of waved goodbye to each other. Should they hug now? Or kiss? While Saïx’s head spun these thoughts around and around, movement caught his eye, and before he could fully register what he was about to do, it had all already happened.

They both stared in disbelief at the disoriented but still very much alive bird that was securely clasped in Saïx’s hands. Then they stared at each other, and then back at the bird.

Saïx slowly lifted his hands toward Xemnas and gave a confused smile. “I… caught you a bird?”

And Xemnas _laughed_ the heartiest laugh that Saïx had ever heard, and through his confuddlement Saïx could recognise that this was indeed a hilarious incident, which ended with them both chortling and gasping for air. Saïx finally loosened his grip on the poor bird, which took off into the sky immediately while the whole street echoed with laughter.

Finally, Xemnas dried his eyes and leaned in to kiss Saïx on the lips. “Thank you, it was a beautiful bird”.

Saïx was still giggling as he answered. “I’m glad you liked it”.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve always thought that werewolves in media are overly serious and angsty when in reality, a courting wolf or dog is the most hilarious thing to watch. So I was aiming for a more lighthearted take on lycanthropes, where their wolf instincts mostly cause small misfortunes or misunderstandings.  
> I envision that what happens to Saïx when he’s near Xemnas is similar to that feeling that dogs get when they see a human they really love. Just… pure and utter joy.  
> Also I’m a sucker for happy kisses and I’ve spent way too much time chasing ducklings in Wii Sports Resort to be entirely healthy


End file.
